This morning we had an early start to enable us to visit the Aquila Game Reserve in the Hex Valley of the Western Cape. The reserve is shielded by mountains from the oceanic weather systems and so is semi-arid, steppe-like savannah with maquis (Mediterranean) vegetation, with sandy soil and frost and heat shattered rocks. Travelling […]

At 07:00 our view at wake-up time is very different. Our tour today is of the Winelands of the Cape Region set below the dramatic Hottentots Holland Mountain Range. At Franschhoek, one of the oldest towns in the region, was settled by Huguenots from France, Belgium and the Netherlands. When the Dutch colonised the area,

We had an early morning wake up in readiness for disembarkation. Following our departure from the ship we started our tour of the Cape Region and the Cape of Good Hope. En route we passed the jackass penguin colony which is only here because of the cold waters from the Antarctic. It is summer here,

Our day started at 08:50 with a moderate chop, bright sunshine and light cloud as we made good progress towards Cape Town at 26S 14E. By noon still travelling in a south south-easterly direction we had reached 27S 15E. We were travelling at 15 knots against a 35mph headwind and 9ft waves which may mean

At the opening of the curtains at 07:30 we were approaching Pelican Point on the sand spit that provided the original safe anchorage at Walvis Bay. We are at 22S 14E and will dock in about an hour. Many ships are at anchor, waiting on the tide and spaces in the port which handles Namibia’s

At 17S 11E it was 17⁰C, bright and cloudy with white topped waves during breakfast. We are nearer to the coast than anticipated, either because of the weather or the events during the early hours. Sleep for everyone was interrupted by a medical call for help. A passenger needed an emergency blood transfusion, and the

At 08:30, from our cabin window on the starboard side of the ship, it appeared to be an overcast day. However, whilst we ate breakfast the sun was beginning to appear. We were making good progress southwards and it was a little cooler at 24⁰C. At noon the Captain updated us on our progress. We

This was our first full day, on this voyage, in the Southern Hemisphere. At 08:45 we were experiencing a moderate breeze, a slight chop with 2m waves, a temperature of 27⁰C and a position of 3S 7E and making good progress towards Walvis Bay, Namibia. The ocean is 30,000ft deep here and we are 170

At 08:00 we were anchored off the port of São Tomé which is the capital of the island with the same name. The Portuguese discovered the island in the 15th century and the remains of their long ownership are to be found in colonial buildings along and behind a broad curving bay and promenade. Unfortunately,